Il est plus facile pour un chameau... (2003)
Directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

Film Review

Having established herself as one of France's most talented actresses, perfectly suited to films d'auteur of the typically French variety, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi made her directorial debut with this poignant and witty study in filial relationships.   An extraordinary cast includes Chiara Mastroianni, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Denis Podalydès and Lambert Wilson, with Bruni Tedeschi herself taking the principal role.  The presence of so many accomplished and charismatic actors significantly diminishes the film's imperfections and makes this a sincere and engaging little film, as discrete and charming as the director herself.

By accident or by design, Il est plus facile pour un chameau... has a noticeable autobiographical element to it.  Valeria Bruni Tedeschi draws on her own experiences, growing up in Italy in a privileged family, before immigrating to France in the 1970s.  She had hoped that her real-life sister, the renowned singer Carla Bruni (the future wife of French President Nicholas Sarkozy), would take the role of her character's sister in the film.  When she was turned down, she instead cast another Franco-Italian star, Chiara Mastroianni.  However, her mother, Marysa Borini, agreed to play the part of her on-screen mother in the film, despite having no prior experience as a film actress.

Whilst the film is well-written and directed with a certain amount of imagination, flair and energy, its lack of cohesion and patchwork quilt structure are, at best distracting, at worst slightly irritating.  Splitting the dialogue between French and Italian contributes to this awkward sense of fragmentation, but the biggest problem is with the use of flashbacks and fantasy sequences.   These seem to be inserted into the central narrative in a purely haphazard fashion, making it difficult for the spectator to follow the drift of what is being said, and we can never be entirely sure as to what is real and what is imaginary.   For example, is the sequence where the young Federica manages to get her parents and her communist kidnappers around the same dinner table a genuine recollection or a fantasy, and what bearing does this have on the present?  Much of what we are shown appears to be contradictory anyway, so maybe the film's apparent lack of coherence is, paradoxically, the thing that holds it together.  In any event, whilst the film may not be entirely satisfying, there are enough positive points to suggest that Valeria Bruni Tedeschi has the potential to be an accomplished filmmaker.

Film Synopsis

Federica is a young woman desperately searching for meaning in her life.  Being the daughter of an incredibly wealthy Italian businessman, she has no need to work, so she drifts about aimlessly, struggling to find worthwhile pursuits to occupy her time.  She tries writing plays, but no one seems to be interested in these.  Presently, she lives with her fiancé Pierre, who has strong communist views.  A chance encounter with her former boyfriend Philippe and the impending death of her father merely aggravate Federica's feelings of confusion and detachment from reality.  Her siblings offer her no comfort - they are so preoccupied with their own problems to show any interest in her.  As the prospect of inheriting a vast fortune looms ever closer, Federica feels increasingly guilty and more uncertain than ever about her future.  She consoles herself by retreating to her imagination and childhood memories...